North Mississippi Air - Fatal accident

DATE
1/5/2005 2303 CST
PROGRAM
North Mississippi Air
VENDOR
Air Methods
ADDRESS
North Mississippi Med Ctr
830 S. Gloster St.
Tupelo, MS 38801
WEATHER
Unknown
AIRCRAFT_TYPE
AS350 A-Star
TAIL#
N350RM
INJURIES
James Archer, Pilot - fatal
DESCRIPTION
The helicopter had been dispatched to respond to an emergency call at
8:05pm following a one vehicle accident. NMMC's helicopter with a
pilot and two flight crew members lifted off at 8:22pm and landed at
the scene at 8:37pm. At 8:45 pm a problem was reported with the chin
bubble on the front of the aircraft. The problem was not one that
would compromise the structural or mechanical performance of the
helicopter but in accordance with FAA regulations, a mechanic was
dispatched to the accident scene just after 9:00pm to repair the
helicopter. The two flight crew members and accident victim were
transported by ambulance to NMMC in Tupelo. A temporary repair was
made on the front of the aircraft and the helicopter lifted off to
return to Tupelo at 11:03pm. The helicopter went down during the
return flight. There was no communication with the pilot after lift
off.
ADDITIONAL INFO
The missing aircraft protocol was initiated after repeated radio calls
from the communication center went unanswered. After an extensive
ground search conducted by local rescuers, the aircraft was located
in a wooded area at 0530 hours. The FAA ws notified of the incident.
The NTSB is investigating the crash scene. The NMMC's helicopter had
made more than 7,300 flights in 18 years without an accident.
SOURCE
Bill Watson, RN, CFRN, REMTP
VIA
David Kearns, CONCERN Coordinator
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The CONCERN network shares verified information to alert medical
transport programs when an accident / incident has occurred.
Please share the above information with your program staff. If
you have further questions, please contact the CONCERN Coordinator,
David Kearns at 800 525 3712 or email: coordinator@concern-network.org.